Temperature control



March l2, 1929. C, L, BAsTlAN ET AL 1,705,106

TEMPERATURE CONTROL Filed Jan. 21, 1925 Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. BASTIAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND RALPH L. FABNHAM, F GRAND HAVEN, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOBS TO THE BASTIAN-BLESSING COMPANY, OF CHI- CAGO, ILLIN'OIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

Y TmEBATUBE CONTROL.

Application tiled January 21, 1985. Serial No. 3,827. y

This invention relates to a novel and improved temperature control for use in places where there are a plurality of compartments which it is desired to maintain at different temperatures as for example in sodafountain equipment. In such equipment it is customary to provide one compartment for the storage of ice cream packers and one or more adjoining compartments for the cooll0 ing of water and other liquids used with the fountain. The temperature of the compartment in which the ice cream is stored must be maintained below freezing, for example, at 6 or 8 F., whereas the compartments or compartment for cooling the liquids must not go below 32 F. and it is preferably maintained at a minimum of approximately 31 F. Various means have been devised in the past for maintaining the difference in temperatures, but most of them have involved use of a separate cooling means for each compartment. 't

It is a primary object of our invention to provide a device wherein `a plurality of compartments may be cooled by use of the same, medium, provision being made for pase sage of the. medium from one chamber to another and this passage being controlled automatically to keep the medium in the different compartments atthe required temperature.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a device of the above character which will permit circulation of the cooling medium from one compartment to another when necessary to maintain the desired temperatures. but which will maintain perfect insulation between the compartments when circulation therebetween is not taking place.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a novel and improved control for the operation of the necessary valves in our system and which shall include means which may be employed when the device is out of use as in shipment, without endangering it because of excessive pressure caused by expansion of the medium used with the controlling device.

In the accompanying drawings inwhich we have shown a selected embodiment of our invention:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a portion of a soda fountain, parts being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, our invention is illustrated as being embodied in a fountain comprising a plurality of compartments 1. 2 and 3. The compartment 1 is used as a cooling compartment through which are passed coolers 4 to cool the liquids used with the fountain. This compartment contains a cooling` medium such as brine which will maintain the liquid at a temperature slightly above freezing. say 34 F The compartment 2 is adapted to contain ice cream packers and these packers are kept cool by means of a cooling medium such as brine in the compartment surrolmding the packers. The contents of the packers must be kept at a much lower temperature than the liquids used with the fountain and therefore it is necessary to keep the brine at a. temperature ranging from zero to 10o F.

Hitherto the brine or other cooling medium in the two compartments has been kept separate and various means have been l devised for keeping them at their desired temperatures. However, we contemplate using the same cooling medium for both compartments and for that purpose we provide the insulated wall 5 which separates the compartments 1 and 2 with a plurality of openings 6 and 7. These openings are preferably placed one abm'e the other and w'e. have shown two such openings in this embodiment. In each of these openings is placed a suitable valve and as they are substantially identical in construction, we shall limit our description to the one which is placed in the openingr 6. By reference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that this valve comprises a fibre sleeve 8 inserted in the opening 6 and provided with an annular shoulder 9 forminga valve seat at one end thereof. The sleeve is held in place bv a lock nut 10 co-operating with the shoulder 9, both the shoulder and lock nut being separated from wall are levers 15 and 16 connected with i vthe valve stems 17 and 18. Each of these stems is provided with a fibre check 19 and 20 respectively adapted .to engage and be seated in the`shoulder 9 of the respective sleeve 8 to close the valve. The ends of the levers 15 and 16 are operatively connected to the longitudinally expansible corrugated member 21 which is a commercial article known by the trade name sylphon, so as to operate in unison to open or c lose the valves. The levers are urged against the sylphon by a suitable spring 22. The sylphon is connected with a sylphon tank 23 which together with the sylphon is filled with a suitable liquid such as alcohol, which expands and contracts enough on a variation of 5 F.-to move the ends of the levers 15 and 16 approximately one-eighth of an inch. The arms of the levers are so arranged that a movement of one-eighth of an inch at one end will open the valve at the other end of each lever one-quarter of an inch, althcygh this arrangement may be varied as desired. The action of the sylphon 21 for the levers 15 and 16 may be control ed by any suitable means s uch as a turnbuckle 24 having right and left hand threads and pressed against the wall 25 of the compartment 1 and against the neck 26 of the sylphon tank.

To avoid dangerous pressure in the sylphon tank when the apparatus is being shipped or when not in use for any other reason, we provide the neck 26 with a comparatively large auxiliary sylphon 27 which may be adjusted as desired by a screw 28, the sylphon and screw being supported in a suitable framework 29. The action of the sylphon is controlled by a spring which nor- Y mally forces the sylphon against a stop inside thereof. When the .pressure becomes abnormal, the action of` the spring is over-l come and the sylphon is forced outwardly until it comes incontact with the screw 28.

In operation and assuming thatl both valves are closed, they will remain closed until the temperature of the cooling` medium in the compartment 1 rises to a point where it will cause the alcohol or `other fluid in -t-he sylphon to expand, thus operating the levers 15 and 16 and opening the valves. Circulation of the brine between the compartments 1 and 2 will then take place, the cooler medium passing from thecompartment 2 tothe compartment 1 through the lower valve and the warmer medium passing from the compartment 1 to the compartment 2 through the upper valve. It is understood that the medium in the compartment 2 is cooled to the desired temperature by any suitable means, such means being well known and forming no part of our invention. While we have shown two valves, we do not intend to be limited thereby, as our invention is capable of use with either one or more valves. The turnbuckle 24 may be operated to adjust the sylphon 21 and thereby regulate the amount by which the valves are opened. As the medium in the compartment 1 becomes cooled by the cir'- culation of cooler fluid from the compartment 2 the sylphon 21 will contract due to the contraction of the alcohol or/other material inside thereof and the valves will be closed by the action of the spring 22 upon the ends of the levers 15 and 16.

While inthe above description we have referred to the use of brine as a cooling medium, it is to be understood that we do not intend to be limited thereby, as our invention is equally capable of use with the so called dry system where air is used for a refrigerant. 'All that is necessary in the use of air instead of brine is a slightly different t pe of valve, the principle involved being the same. We therefore intend to claim our invention as adapted for use with any fluid refrigerating or cooling medium.

From the above it will be apparent that we have provided a temperature control which may be easily applied to existing fountains, or the like, where a plurality of compartments are employed and which will efficiently, accurately and automatically control the temperature of the cooling medium in one of said compartments. While we have shown the device applied to one compartment only to control the temperature therein by a cooling medium in an adjoining compartment, itis obvious that the invention may be extended to any number of compartments which may be desired.

We are aware that changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts ma kbe made without departing from the spint and without sacrificing the advantages of the invention and we reserve the right to make all such changes .as fairly fall within p the scope of the following claims.

We claim: Y Y 1 In a device of the class described, a

l pluarlity of compartments, a cooling medium in said compartments, means permittin the circulation of said medium throu h sai compartments, means controlling sald circulation and comprising a sylphon, and an auxiliary sylphon associated with said first named sylphon to relieve the pressure thereon when not in use. l

2. In a device of the class described a plurality of compartments, a cooling me ium in said compartments, means permitting the circulation of said medium through said compartments, means controlling said circulationr and comprising a sylphon, an auxiliary syl hon assoclated with said first named sy phon to relieve the pressure thereon when not in use, and means for adjusting said auxiliary sylphon.

3. In a device of the class described, a pluarlity of compartments, a cooling fluid in said compartments, a wall between two of said compartments and having a valved opening therein to ermit circulation of said fluid, a longitudina ly expansible corrugated member for operating said valve, means associated with said member to keep the same 'from expanding when not in use, and means for controlling the operation of said first named means.

4. In a device of the class described, a plurality of com artments, an insulated wall between two o said compartments, a pair of openings in said wall, a pair of rigid independent levers mounted on said Wall, a valve for each of said openings connected to one end of each lever, expansible means cooperating with the other end of said levers to simultaneously open each of said valves laterally, and a spring oppositely disposed to said expansible means for moving said levers to close both of said valves.

5. In a device of the class described, a plurality of compartments, a cooling medium in said compartments, an insulated wall between two of said compartments, openings in said wall for permitting circulation of lsaid cooling medium, non-metallic sleeves in said openings, levers mounted on said wall, a valve for each of said sleeves and connected to one end of each lever, a sylphon for moving each lever to open said valves when said syl hon is expanded, means opposing said sy phon for movin said levers to close said valves when sai sylphon is contracted, means associated with said sylphon for relieving the pressure thereon when 5 not in use, and means for adjusting said last named means.

CHARLES L. BASTIAN. RALPH L. FARNHAM. 

